Emergency Lesson/Sub Plans - The Evil Eye Close Read and Superstition Research

These handouts will take students through a Close Read of an informational article about the Evil Eye and provide an extension research activity for further learning about superstitions from around the world. This 2-3 day lesson is what I keep tucked aside in an Emergency Lesson Plan folder, but I have also used it with younger students, reluctant readers, and Fundamentals classes. I would suggest to begin the lesson by asking students about superstitions they are already familiar with. Lead the kids through a discussion about things they've heard/know some people believe are good luck and bad luck.

The first two pages of this work packet provide informational text about the Evil Eye and the various beliefs held in countries/cultures around the world. The article is unbiased, easy for readers of all abilities to complete independently, and high interest subject matter (as many of your students will already be familiar with this symbol). After the reading has been completed, students will work through a variety of sections that will require them to return to the text, cite evidence, make inferences, share opinions, and research online. Sections include:

Identifying Main Idea - students will label statements as Too General, Too Broad, or Main Idea

Recalling Facts - multiple choice questions that may require re-reading of the text as well as citing evidence

Making Inferences - students will read a variety of statements and decide whether the inference is Correct or Faulty based on the information in the article

Identifying Synonyms and Antonyms - students re-read sentences taken from the article (focusing on an underlined term) and choose appropriate synonyms and antonyms from choices provided

Author's Approach and Critical Thinking - multiple choice questions that may require re-reading, deep thinking, and analysis

Personal Responses - students share their surprises, opinions, questions, etc. by completing writing prompts (finishing sentence stems provided)

Extension Activity: Superstition Research - Using the internet, students label a long list of superstitions from around the world as Good Luck, Bad Luck, or Both. From the list of common superstitions, students will choose 5 to conduct further research on. For each superstition that chosen, students keep track of the following information: the source (url), the origin of the superstition and its historical background, and which parts of the world the superstition is most commonly associated with.